There’s no future in ignoring underfunded pension obligations. Forest Park, like most towns, has done that for way too long. And now the village is in a deep and deepening hole.

Good for various public officials in varying roles who are speaking out about what is an imminent challenge and for talking to the Review’s Jessica Mordacq about the situation.

Here is what we ultimately know — if, in fact, we can ultimately know anything for certain these days — pensions will be paid. It is as close to a sacred obligation as a municipality can enter into. Police officers and firefighters sign on for dangerous duty, at what is now a fair wage, and the payoff is a guaranteed pension. It cannot go unpaid.

Steve Rummel, best known locally as a member of the District 91 school board, is also a member of the village’s police pension board. He sounded an alarm at a village council meeting in February. He estimates the police pension fund is about 15 years away from running out of money. Travis Myers is a Forest Park firefighter and a member of the fire pension board. And his department’s pension fund is even more poorly funded than the police.

Rachell Entler, village administrator, paints a dire picture of a town unable to retain a fire department not so very far in the future. Again, good for her, for being transparent about the depth of this problem.

What can be done? Forest Park needs to add new revenues. Home rule needs to be put back on the ballot as the best way to increase cash flow into the pensions. Diverting all proceeds from local pot sales into the pensions is a good idea, but not enough. We support the idea of putting the proceeds of any sale of a portion of the Altenheim land toward pensions. That however is predicated on the village holding and actually planning for the remaining 6-7 acres as perpetually open space.

The village, which talks up its solid connections in Springfield, needs to lead on statewide pension reform. There is no need for two local pension boards. There is a case for all these local boards, and their costs, to be aggregated across Illinois, as is the case with teacher pensions. Paying double pensions should be limited. There are reforms to be made. There is no time to waste.